The One Thing That Matters
by jemmahearteyessimmons
Summary: For thatsforsimmons for the Leo Fitz Exchange on Tumblr! Prompt: Fitz thinks he's useless, he proves himself wrong. Set slightly before the beginning of season 2A and before Simmons returns from HYDRA


The last thing Fitz remembered was that he and Jemma were trapped in a med pod beneath the oceans surface. Ninety feet below he had figured, with only enough oxygen for one of them. He had broken a bone in the same place where it was broken in the second grade, and had tried to say that he loved Jemma. Insisted on her taking it, after all; she was a much better and stronger swimmer than he was.

He had woken up and the first thought was Jemma. She had taken the oxygen and then the windows bursted out and blackness. Was she okay? Obviously, he had made it to the surface somehow and had gotten medical attention as he was now hooked up to various machines monitoring breathing rates heart rates and other things. He had tried to see where exactly he was, to no avail.

That was about two months ago now, he had reckoned. Two months and the only damn thing he really had achieved was speaking, well sort of. There seemed to be a lack in vocabulary, words that would come easily to him before the accident seemed to have completely disappeared from his mind. Stuttering had also become a new thing. His hands were shaking ever so slightly, but enough to hinder him from doing what he could've done beforehand. Small grasping things like wires and what not were nearly impossible for him to do. That'd sure as hell stop him from ever being in the field again. From ever living a normal life without the rest of the team treating him like some sort of fragile glass that needed to be treated with extra care. The only two that weren't treating him differently were Mack and Simmons, though the latter was a hope.

The cloaking device, was something he was assigned to work on, wasn't coming along with the same amount of time as he had hoped. His lack of words, now made simple tasks like explaining how he was coming along very difficult; Though with Simmons by his side offering encouragement it made it not so painful. If he could just get master just one aspect, surely he'd be able to have the cloaking device up and running. The familiar sound of Jemma comforted him once more,

"Fitz, you're making such great progress!"

Encouragement. At last. From the woman he cares the most about. Maybe, he wasn't as useless as he thought.

"Thanks. J-Just trying to…." Fitz pointed at the incomplete model

"Make sure the device is properly working!"

"Yeah…. Yeah"

"You're going to do it, Fitz! I know it."

Mack entered the lab just then,

"How's the device coming along?"  
"Good. Just trying to figure out these nano wires.." Fitz explained pointing to the blueprints next to the model

"Well, I'll leave you be. Seems like you have it"

"Thanks"

The entire project was very simple in theory, something that again he and Simmons should have figured out in no time. It might just take some trail and error; but he will have it done. Damage be damned.

The one thing Fitz had noticed, the other noticeable change, was how everyone was treating him. Well, almost everyone. Mack was the only one who seemed to view him as much as an equal as before. Fitz sighed. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the familiar, comforting sight of Jemma.

"Aw, Fitz. They don't mean to treat you any differently"

"Yeah. Y-Yeah. But. But. They are. They are treating me differently, because I am. Jemma. I am different.."

The familiar touch of Jemma's hand comforted Fitz on his shoulder.

"I saw your work today in the lab. With that cloaking device that Coulson has you working on, excellent progress."

"I suppose."

"Oh, Fitz! It's true. About the progress you're making on the cloaking device."

"Humph."

Mack, Hunter, and Skye were standing around talking about Fitz' progress on the cloaking device.

"Earlier today when I was in the lab, I walked into Fitz talking to himself, again." Mack lamented.

"It's almost like he still thinks Simmons is by his side. I mean, I know they're like psychically inked or something; but I didn't know Simmons leaving him would affect him so bad." Skye said.

"Well, how exactly is the device coming along?"

Fitz entered where the three of his team members were standing around,

"Good. The device is coming along good, Hunter"

Later, that day back in the lab Fitz continued to work on the device, he was now determined as ever to finish. After all, he did have Macks support and Jemma by his side encouraging him. Looking up from the blue prints on his desktop he saw Mack standing at the doorway.

"Is this a good time, Turbo?"

"Uh.. yeah. Yeah"

"Device is continuing to come along good?,"

"Yeah. As well as I can, been looking at…" Fitz pointed

"The blueprints?"

"Yeah… and…"

"There's a hold up on the design?"

"Well, no. No. Not exactly…" Fitz pointed at the blueprints again "I just can't seem to…"

"Figure out how to exactly execute the design into an actual physical design?"

"Yeah. Kind of… You see, the actual design. I… I… didn't do recently,"

"It was something I was working on with Jemma before the accident and

now…"

"You don't know how to go about finishing it?," Mack asked, "I could help maybe?"

"Yeah… it's… I have Jemma anyways. Just I might need some more time. Just technical aspects, but it shouldn't exactly hinder the progress. But.. uh. thanks for the offer."

Mack put his hand on Fitz' shoulder, "You're welcome. I'll leave you to work"

"You should've taken Mack up on the offer, Fitz. " Jemma was beside him once more.

"The progress you have made is, prodigious but it doesn't hurt to have someone else as eyes; besides the two of us."

"I've got this Jemma. I know exactly what to do. How to…" Fitz exasperatedly stated. 

"Make it work?"

"Yes. Exactly. Now. I need to go back to work, Jemma."

Simmons let out a sigh "So be it, Fitz. Continue on making the progress you have and you'll be done in no time; no extra time needed."

Fitz continued working on the design, studying over the blueprints, trying to make it work. There was of course no real reason why it shouldn't. If he just continued to work on it, tinkering, he will have it done; perhaps Jemma was right. Perhaps having an extra set of eyes besides the two of them, would end up working in Fitz' favour. Also, Mack was always nice to have around, someone else on the team that didn't treat him like some slightly incompetent fragile glass monkey figurine or something.

Rolling up the cloaking device blueprints, Fitz headed out of the lab and saw Jemma in the shadows giving him a small smile and nod of approval, he continued walking down the hall towards the common area where Skye, Hunter, and Mack would hang out in.

Rounding the corner he saw the three siting around;

"Would you mind if I joined you?"

"No, of course not!" Skye answered

"Thanks, so uh playing Texas Hold 'Em?"

"Yeah, and Mack here is trying to beat me" Hunter sighed

"We're almost done with this round, and then next I'll deal you

a hand"

"Thanks, for the offer Mack but I was…. was wondering if maybe you could

help me with the cloaking device? Simmons suggested it might not… h-hurt

to uh have an extra set of eyes on the project."

"Sure, I'll be down in the lab after this round; but you're more than welcomed to stay. Make sure" Mack pointed at Hunter "He doesn't continue cheating on Skye and me."

"I'm not cheating!" Hunter silently protested under his breath

"Sure, and I'm not Xena the warrior princess" Skye muttered

After what seemed like an endless game of Texas Hold 'Em and silent protests between Mack, Skye, and him against Hunter's cheating, Fitz and Mack were back in the lab. Pulling out the cloaking device blueprints and quickly organizing the desk he unrolled the blueprints.

"The nanowires are suppose to go" Fitz pointed at the blueprints "here, that's. That's the biggest place where we're stuck."

"I see. Hmm…" Mack picked up the prototype "Well, maybe if we were to attach the wires.." Pointing at the blueprints "in here, it could work"

"Thanks. I'll try that"

The thing with attaching nano wires and making it so that lightwaves could bend was that it was hard to know exactly how it would turn out to be, without trail and error; but Fitz was as determined as ever to make it work.

Days and days passed and Fitz knew only one thing mattered, that he would get the cloaking device to work and be able to have it on time. With Mack offering hands on help and Simmons by his side encouraging him; he knew he had excellent support.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Epilogue~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The cloaking device was completed in under two months time, Simmons was found to be a hallucination, but that didn't stop Fitz from proving himself, as well as the rest of the team wrong. When Jemma did come back from her time undercover at HYDRA he was a bit

apprehensive and angry at his best friend leaving him when he needed her the most. Simmons insisted it was for his own good, for his recovery. The cloaking device is used quite often and him and Mack's friendship continues to grow stronger.


End file.
